Apparatus for impregnating wood.



No. 716,40l. Patented Dec. 23, I902.

J. L. FERBELL.

APPARATUS FOR IMPREGNATING WOOD;

(Application filed June 20, 1901.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

FIG. I

No. 7l6,40l. Patented Dec. 23, I902.

J. L. FEBRELL.

APPARATUS FOR IMPREGNATING WOOD.

(Application filed June 20, 1901.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Fffi 1K WITNESSES: INVENTOR:

UNITED drarns ATENJT OFFICE.

JOSEPH L. FERRELL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR IMPREGNATING WOOD.

$PEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 716,401, dated December23, 1902.

Application filed June 20, 1901. Serial No. 65,283. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH L. FERRELL, of Philadelphia, in the State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inApparatus for Impregnating W'ood with Fireproofing Preservative andother Reagents, whereof the following is a specification, referencebeing bad to the ac companying drawings.

It is the object of my invention to provide an apparatus comprising areceptacle wherein a body of wood may be inclosed and impregnated byinjecting a fluid-reagent there through, under pressure at one endthereof, in the direction of the grain of the Wood. It is characteristicof my present invention that said impregnating-receptacle is providedwith means to seclude one end of a body of wood inserted therein, sothat the pressure to which that portion of said body is subjected withinsaid receptacle may be independently controlled.

My invention consists in the novel features of construction andarrangement hereinafter specified and claimed.

The particular employment of my apparatus which I at present contemplateis in con nection with the fireproofing of wood, and I will thereforesimplify the following description by adverting only to such usethereof, it being understood, however, that I do not therefore intend tolimit my claims accordingly.

In the drawings, Figure I is a side elevation of an apparatusconveniently embodying my invention. Fig. II is a longitudinal sectionalView of said apparatus. Fig. III is an elevational View of the left-handend of said apparatus as shown in Fig. I. Fig. IV is a transversesectional view taken on the line IV IV in Figs. I and II.

In said figures, 1 is the impregnating-receptacle, adapted to inclose awooden body 2 within the space 3 and to seclude the end l of said bodyfrom said space 3 in exclusive communication with the space 5, so that afluid reagent may be injected in the end 6 of said body 2 from saidspace 3 through the grain-pores of the body 2 and be vented at the endat thereof while said body is surrounded by said fluid in the space 3.Said receptacle is provided with the port 7 for the space 3,

which port opens into the pipe 8, controlled by the valve 9, and theport 10 for the space 5, which opens into the pipe 11, controlled by thevalve 12. The space 3 is also in commu nication with the air-valve 13,leading to the atmosphere.

It is to be noted that the rapid injection of a fluid through thegrain-pores of a wooden body in the direction of the grain of the woodhas a tendency to open fissures in said body on the lines of themedullary rays, and the arrangement above-described is advantageous inthat the fluid is not only injected in the end 6 of the body 2 in thedirection of the grain-pores, but also incloses the circumference ofsaid body, and serves as a hydrostatic band to compress the latter andprevent development of such fissures.

The impregnating-receptacle 1 is mounted upon the standards 16 andprovided with the removable lids 17 and 18. The lid 18 is secured influid-tight relation with the receptacle 1 by means of the bolts 19 andnuts 20, and the space 5 is conveniently recessed in said lid. Said lid18 is provided with the annular flange 21, which supports the gasket 22in position to contact with the perimeter of the end face 4 of said body2, so that said end is sealed and secluded by compression of said gasketwhen the body 2 is thrust in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig.II.

In order to effect the aforesaid endwise movement of the body 2, athrust-plate 23, comprising the corrugated face 24, (to give freepassage to fluid,) is opposed to the end 6 of said body 2 in swiveledconnection with the thrustbar 25, which latter is entered through thestuffing-box 26 in the lid 17 in longitudinally-adjustable relationtherewith. The outer extremity of said thrust-bar 25 is provided withthe screw-thread 27 in engagement with the nut 28, which latter is fixedin the yoke 29, rigidly connected with the lid 17 by the bolts 30, andsaid thrust-bar, being also provided with the hand-Wheel 31, may berotated in said nut 28 to shift said bar in or out through the head 17.Said wooden body 2 is conveniently supported by the rollers 32, whichare respectively fixed to the shafts 33 and mounted to rotate in therecesses 34: in the bottom of the receptacle 1. Said shafts 33 extendthrough stuffing-boxes 35 and are provided upon their outer extremitieswith cranks 36, by which the rollersv may be conveniently actuated toshift the body 2 with respect to the receptacle 1.

The body of Wood 2 is inserted and removed with respect to thereceptacle 1 through the end thereof provided with the lid 17, and saidlid is arranged to be compressed upon the receptacle 1 in fluid-tightrelation therewith by means of the swing-bolts 37 and 38, which arerespectively pivoted at 39 between bearing-lugs 40 at the extremity ofthe receptacle l. The bolt-s 37 respectively register with the notches42 in the periphery of the lid 17, and the bolt 38 is entered throughthe aperture 43 in said lid. Said bolts 37 and 38 are respectivelyprovided with nuts 44 and 45, arranged to compress said lid 17 upon thereceptacle 1, or, being retracted upon their respective bolts 37 and 38,the bolts 37 may be swung upon their pivots 39 clear of the notches 42and the lid 17 opened by means of the handle 46, said lid being hingedlyconnected with the receptacle 1 by the bolt 38.

The apparatus above described may be employed to impregnate a body ofwood by injecting a fluid reagent through its grain-pores under pressureat one end thereof, as follows: Thelid 17 being opened, a Wooden body 2may be inserted in the receptacle 1, with its end face 4 presented incontact with the gasket 22, conveniently by rotation of the rollers 32.The thrust-bar 25 being then withdraWn,-so as not to contact with theend face 6 of said body 2, the lid 17 is swung upon the bolt 38 into itsclosed position, the bolts 37 are placed within the notches 42, and thenuts 44 and 45 rotated to compress the lid 17 in fluid-tight relationwith the receptacle 1. Thereupon the hand-wheel 31 is rotated to bringthe thrust-plate 23 in contact with the face 6 of the body 2, andthereafter to thrust said body in the direction of the arrow upon Fig.II to compress the gasket 22, so that the latter seals the end face 4 ofthe body 2 in exclusive communication with the recess 5 and the port 10leading therefrom. The parts aforesaid having been assembled asdescribed, the valve 12 is opened to vent the recess 5 at the end 4 ofthe body 2, and the air-valve 13 is opened to vent the space 3surrounding the remainder of said body within the receptacle 1.Thereupon any suitable reagent fluidsuch, for instance, as an aqueoussolution of metallic salt-is admitted through the valve 9 and port 7 tothe space 3 within the receptacle 1, from which the atmospheric air ispermitted to vent at the valve 13 until the receptacle is fully chargedwith the reagent fluid, whereupon said valve 13 is closed, and therecess 5 being open to discharge through the port 10 and valve 12 thecontinued injection of the reagent through the port 7 effects thedistribution of said reagent from the end 6 of the wooden body2 throughits grain-pores to the end 4 thereof. The fluid which is first emittedfrom the discharge end 4 of the wooden body 2 comprises any fluid previ:ously existing in said body, such as water of sap, &c., which is drivenforth by the incomingreagen t. However, as soon the fluid emitted fromthe grain pores at the discharge end 4 of the body 2 is of the fullstrength of the fluid injected at the initial end 6 of said body thefurther escape of said fluid through the port 10 is prevented by closureof the Valve 12, and thereupon, the injection of the fluid beingcontinued, the latter is forced radially outward from the grain-poresthrough the surrounding cellular structure of the body 2 to thecircumference of the latter.

I find that after the grain-pores of a wooden body are impregnated fromend to end thereof, as in the first step of the operation abovedescribed, the time required to effect the radial impregnation of theremaining cellular structure of said body is materially shortened byinjection of the fluid within said body simultaneously from both endsthereof, and for this purpose the branch pipe 47 may be connected withthe same supply of fluid as the pipe 8 and the backward flow of fluidthrough the port 10 be controlled by manipulation of the valves 48 and12.

I do not desire to limit myself to the precise construction andarrangement of the apparatus which I have chosen for illustration, as itis obvious that various modifications made he made therein withoutdeparting from the essential features of my invention.

I claim- 1. The combination with an impregnatingreceptacle; of means foropening and closing said receptacle, consisting of removable lidsdetachably secured to the opposite ends thereof; a gasket of resilientmaterial within said receptacle supported by one lid thereof; means inthe other of said lids arranged to adj ustably thrust a body of woodwithin said receptacle, in the direction of its length, against saidgasket; a fluid-port for the space surrounding said body within saidreceptacle; means to control said port; a fluid-port for the spaceinclosed by said gasket; means to control said port; recesses in thebottom of said receptacle; rollers respectively mounted to rotate insaid recesses; and means, exterior to said receptacle, arranged toactuate said rollers, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with an impregnatingreceptacle; of means for openingand closing said receptacle, consisting of removable lids secured to theopposite ends thereof; a gasket of resilient material within saidreceptacle, supported by one lid thereof; means, in the other of saidlids, arranged to adjustably thrust a body of wood within saidreceptacle against said gasket; a fluid-port for the space surroundingsaid body within said receptacle; means to control said port; afluid-port for the space inclosed by said gasket; and means to controlsaid port, substantially as set forth.

IIO

3. The combination with an impregnatingreceptacle; of means for openingand closing said receptacle, consisting of removable lids secured to theopposite ends thereof; a gasket of resilient material Within saidreceptacle, supported by one lid thereof; means, in the other of saidlids, arranged to adjustably thrust a body of wood Within saidreceptacle against said gasket; a fluid-port for the space surroundingsaid body Within said receptacle; means to control said port; a fluidport for the space inclosed by said gasket; means to control said port;a roller mounted to rotate in the bottom of said receptacle; and means,exterior to said receptacle, arranged to actuate said roller,substantially as set forth.

4. The combination With an impregnatingreceptacle; of means for openingand closing said receptacle, consisting of removable lids secured to theopposite ends thereof; a gasket of resilient material Within saidreceptacle, supported by one lid thereof; means, ar ranged Within saidreceptacle, to adjustably thrust a body of Wood against said gasket; afluid-port for the space surrounding said body within said receptacle;means to control said port; a fluid-port for the space inclosed by saidgasket; and means to control said port, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination With an impregnatingreceptacle; of removable lids foropening and closing said receptacle; a hinge connecting one of said lidsWith said receptacle; a gasket of resilient material, Within saidreceptacle, arranged to seclude one end of a body of wood insert-edtherein; means, in said hinged lid, arranged to adjustably thrust a bodyof Wood within said receptacle against said gasket; means to inlet andoutlet fluid with respect to said receptacle; means to control thepressure of fluid at the secluded end of said body, independently of theremainder thereof; a roller mounted to rotate in the bottom of saidreceptacle; and means, exterior to said receptacle, arranged to actuatesaid roller, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name, at Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, this 17th day of June, 1901.

JOSEPH L. FERRELL.

\Vitnesses:

ARTHUR E. PAIGE, PHILIP PISTOR.

